Spring device



Aug. 7, 1951 A. G. SAMOTHRAKIS SPRING DEVICE Filed Sept. 22, 1948 w 5.ll 21. J

WWI L INVENTOR. SAMO'IHRAKIS ANToNxos G ATTORNEY patented Aug. 7, 1951UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in pistonmechanisms, and, more particularly, the aim is to provide a novel andvaluable auxiliary device for acting as a mechanieall y-f-unctioni-ngbooster, by displacing the re-- oi'procatin Pi on of a piston valve froma dead position assumed by said piston at the end of a working strokeand due to escape of steam from an intended place of confinement thereofrelative to the piston.

When such a steam-escape condition exists, with the result that thepiston assumes a dead position, the piston stops working. By the presentinvention, cessation of working of the piston cannot occur, even underthe condition mentioned. The piston displacement effected by the deviceof the invention is such as to move the piston, by mechanical thrust,from its dead position; such thrust positively forcing the piston tostart to make its stroke in the direction opposite to the direction ofits stroke in approaching said dead position.

While the invention has been especially devised for overcoming ahitherto encountered trouble in liquid pumps, and, more specifically,and actually marine installations, to wit, for a water feed pump and fora feed-water circulating pump for an auxiliary condenser, it is to beunderstood that thelnv'ention is not thus to be limited; since, as willhecorne' apparent hereinafter, the principles of the invention maybeusefully applied to any steam-operated reciprocating piston in whateverrelation the same may be functioning.

The object of the invention is to provide an appliance which is simple,inexpensive to constreet and assemble, which has comparatively few partsyet which is rugged and reliable in operation, which. nevertheless maybe readily readjusted from an always readily accessible point ofadjustment, which as a whole is very compact and entirelyself-contained, and which, because ofits' attributes as just recited,may be expeditiously added to a pump or the like already manufiacturedand in service. In the last connection, it-is also contemplated that thenew adjunct may be inbuilt in a pump or the like as originally made.

Thus, in attaining the object above-mentioned, another object oftheinvention is attained, that is; to avoid the inclusion of elaborateextra linkages, the'use ofbell-cranks or other moving parts requiringlarge fields of operation, the resort to a plurality of differentiallyacting springs, the use of. a. springv on such parts as connecting rodsf romaa cram -shaft or on analogous parts having tobe assembled deep in:the interior of the main apparatus, etc, etc.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects andadvantages thereof,re'fer ence will be had to the following descriptionand accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which thevarious novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

in the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a view, largely in axial section, showing an embodiment of thenew adjunct as now favored.

Fig. 2 shows fragme'ntarily, and largely diagrammatically, portions of awater pump of the ty e wherein the piston valve cylinder is horizontally extended; with two of the devices of Fig. 1 applied thereto.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2', but in regard to a type of umpwherein the piston valve cylin der is vertically extended; with a singleone of the devices of Fig. 1 applied thereto.

Referring to the drawing in detail, and first to Fig. 1, the new deviceis illustrated as includ' ing' a cylindrical casing 5 having a reducedneck 6. Said casing, internally thereof, and at its and adjacent to theroot of the neck 6, presents an annular shoulder in a planeperpendicular to the axis of the casing. A cylindrical rod 8 in tegranycarries, intermediate its ends, a collar 9; and this rod, at its portioninserted into the neck 6, is of a diameter sufficiently close to that ofthe here through said neck to allow easy endw'ise movement of the rod 3relative to the neck, thereby to allow slight movement of the collar dtoward and away from the shoulder l.

The collar 9 is normally urged to bear against the shoulder l by anexpansile spring I t sleeving the upper part of the rod 8 and resting atone end against the collar 9.

The opposite end of said spring is engaged by a disk I I integrallycarried at one en'dof a rod 1 2 which in the main is smoothlycylindrical. The rod [2 is smoothly cylindrical except at the locationof the disk l'l, except at a portion along the length of the' rod wherethe same has an external thread M, and except at the outer end ofthe'rod [2, where the same is polygonal in cross-section, at 15, tofacilitate turning of the rod by means of an applied wrench.

The thread Id of the rod I2 is in engagement with an internal thread l6extending along a part of the length of a central cylindrical borethrough a cyl indricalblock IT. This block has an external threadextending along an end portion of its length, this thread in engagementwith an internal thread [9 of the casing 5 at the end thereof remotefrom the neck 6.

3 With the block H screwed into the casing 5, tightly, to lock theseparts together, the rod [2 maybe turned at its polygonal .portion I5thereby to be spirally advanced or retracted, to modify the tension ofthe spring [8 as a particular situation may require. For tightening upthe joinder of the block I1 and the casing 5, said block, at a pointintermediate its ends, has a portion polygonal in cross-section.

The outer end of the block I! has an external thread 2|, and oppositesuch thread the block is recessed as shown for the reception of a gland22 including a steam packing 23; the gland being held steam-tight byapplication of a. nut 24 engaging thethreadZl. H

At 25 in Fig. 1 there is indicated the conventional plate for an end ofa piston valve cylinder; which end plate is centrally drilled and tappedfor taking the external thread 26 provided on the neck 6.

The portion of the rod 8 which passes through said neck is made of suchlength, in terms of the spacing of the shoulder i from the position 2'!reached by the adjacent face of the piston 21 when the latter arrives atthe end of its stroke toward the end plate 25, that just before saidpiston face reaches said position the rod 8 will be thrust in adirection abnormally to tension the spring it. Therefore, such abnormaltension is-in the spring H3 at the instant the piston reaches theposition 21 which would be a dead position of the piston if there weresuch steam escape as to prevent the steam-drive impetus now necessary tobe applied to the piston to .cause it to initiate its return stroke.However, with the device of the invention installed as explained, thereturn stroke of the piston is always certainly initiated.

.Referring to Fig. 2, where is partially shown a pump 28 having a pistonvalve cylinder 29 extending horizontally, the position of the piston insaid cylinder at the end of a working stroke in onedirection isindicated in broken lines at '30 and the position of said piston at theend of a working stroke in the opposite direction is indicated in dotand dash lines at 3|. Here, it would be desirable if not essential toprovide two of the devices of Fig. l, secured respectively to the endplates 32- and 33 of the cylinder 29 according to the principlesexplained in connection with the cylinder end plate 25 and the piston 21of Fig. 1.

Referring to Fig. 3, Where is partially shown a pump 34 having a pistonvalve cylinder 35 placed vertically, the position of the piston in saidcylinder at the end of its downward working stroke is indicated inbroken lines at 36. Here it would be necessary merely to provide one ofthe devices of Fig. I, applied as just mentioned to the bottom end plate31 of the cylinder 35. In such a pump, the booster effect of the deviceof the invention is needed only at the bottom of the piston valvecylinder, since any tendency -of.the piston to come to a dead positionat the end of its upward working stroke is overcome, even with asteam-escape condition, by the weight of the piston.

In Figs. 2 and 3, no attempt has been made to show further details ofthe pumps there illustrated, as these are well-known. Also, the shapeand nature of the pistons indicated is merely illustrative, and cannotaffect the essence of the invention.

A device pursuant to the present invention, and according to theembodiment thereof herein shown and described, has actually beeninstalled and tested, for instance in the case of a disabled circulationpump for an auxiliary condenser, said pump having a piston valvecylinder of the type indicated in Fig. 3, on the steamship Milton B.Medary, and in an emergency while on a voyage from Galveston, Texas, toAntwerp, Belgium, and for another instance, in the case of a disabledwater feed pump having a piston valve cylinder of the type indicated inFig, 2, on the steamship Marjory, on another voyage, and also in anemergency; in both cases, with perfect results. The piston of a pistonvalve frequently, from wear or otherwise, becomes loose in its cylinder,thereby allowing steam pressure to pass around the, piston from one endof the cylinder to the other, and so causing the pump to stop on thepiston reachingan end of the cylinder. The device of the invention, assimple and as readily applicable in an emergency as it is, starts such apump WOlkiIlg again and thereafter maintains it continuously in workingcondition.

While I have, illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of myinvention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to theprecise constructions herein disclosed'and the right is reserved to allchanges and modifications coming within the scope or the invention asdefined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by United States Letters Patent is: 1

l. A device for the purpose described, comprising a casing, attachingmeans at one end of the casing, said one end having an opening, a rod insaid casing and endwisely movable therein for projection through saidopening, and a spring in said casing for acting against said rod tonormally maintain the latter projected through said opening, saidattaching means comprising an external thread on said casing, saidcasing having a reduced neck carrying said thread, said casing having aninternal shoulder adjacent the root end of said neck, said rodintermediate its ends having a collar fixed thereon, said spring at oneend bearing against the face of said collar remote from said shoulder, asecond rod bear ing against the other end of said spring, and a boredblock threadedly adjustable in said casing at its end remote from saidneck, said second rod threadedly passing through the bore of said blockand having the end thereof opposite to its spring engaging end projectedbeyond the outer end of said block so as to present, beyond the end ofthe casing remote from said neck, a part, of said second rod readilyaccessible for turning to spirally move said second rod relative to saidblock for modifying the tension of ternal thread on said casing, saidcasing having the other end of said spring, a bored block threadedlyadjustable in said casing at its end remote from said neck, said secondrod threadedly passing through the bore of said block and having the endthereof opposite to its spring engaging end projected beyond the outerend of said block so as to present, beyond the end of the casing remotefrom said neck, a part of said second rod readily accessible for turningto spirally move said second rod relative to said block for modifyingthe tension of said spring, and a steam-tight closure between saidsecond rod and said block.

3. A device for the purpose described, comprising a casing, attachingmeans at one end of the casing, said one end having an opening, a rod insaid casing and endwisely movable therein for projection through saidopening, and a spring in said casing for acting against said rod tonormally maintain the latter projected through said opening, saidattaching means comprising an external thread on said casing, saidcasing having a reduced neck carrying said thread, said casing having aninternal shoulder adjacent the root end of said neck, said rodintermediate its ends having a collar fixed thereon, said spring at oneend bearing against the face of said collar remote from said shoulder, asecond rod bearing against the other end of said spring, a bored blockthreadedly adjustable in said casing at its end remote from said neck,said second rod threadedly passing through the bore of said block andhaving the 6 end thereof opposite to its spring engaging end projectedbeyond the outer end of said block so as to present, beyond the end ofthe casing remote from said neck, a part of said second rod readilyaccessible for turning to spirally move said second rod relative to saidblock for modifyin the tension of said spring, and a steam-tight closurebetween said second rod and said block, said closure including a packinggland in the block and surrounding said second rod, and a tightening nutfor said gland.

ANTONIOS G. SAMOTHRAKIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 512,142 Wood Jan. 2, 1894 537,357Phillips Apr. 9, 1895 1,761,747 Rosin June 3, 1930 1,917,316 Naab Jul11, 1933 1,946,902 Ferris Feb. 13, 1934 2,291,499 Penick July 28, 19422,298,529 Dimick Oct. 13, 1942 2,467,276 Slater Apr. 12, 1949 2,496,323Waltke Feb. 7, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 720,763 France1932

